Time to fully decriminalise sex work

T

 The Age, 

There are only two places in the world where sex work is fully decriminalised: New Zealand and New South Wales. Everywhere else in Australia, it is partially criminalised, even though many of the concerns raised about sex work by the general public or by legislators are already addressed by existing legislation: there are laws for disturbing the peace, there are noise curfews, laws regarding indecent exposure.

Most sex workers carefully guard their privacy and are cautious about outsiders knowing what they do. People who have done sex work will keep their history secret so as not to be defined by it once they’ve moved on. Sex workers with children can find the fact of their occupation used against them in custody battles.

Faced with those risks, many sex workers resist the regulation and therefore work outside the law. That has important legal, health and safety impacts.

By J Pope

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